The Third Choice
by CelendilAU
Summary: LiS EPISODE FIVE SPOILERS AHEAD. What if there was a different ending to Life is Strange? What if the choice made on the cliffs above Arcadia Bay was no longer bearable in the bathroom of Blackwell... what would happen if Max couldn't bring herself to sacrifice Chloe and found.. a third choice?
1. The Third Choice

[click]

[bzzzzzz]

The butterfly! The picture I took... way back when... when everything in my life stopped making sense.

I'm here. I'm... _then_. It worked, I'm...

I can't hear what Nathan's saying. I can't even make out the words over the rushing noise in my ears.

The storm is suddenly five days away again but the noise its making is still so _loud_ that it's deafening me, and then...

"You got hella cash."

 _Chloe_.

Her voice cuts through the roaring in my ears. Like she always does. It figures I could still hear her over the end of the world.

She's right there. I could... I could do it all over again.

I could save her from Nathan.

But she sent me back to not change this. To let her go, to _let her die_ and save the town, save Joyce and Kate and Warren and Frank and Victoria and everyone else... but if I don't save her... who will save _me_?

I don't think I can live with the guilt of letting my best friend die ten feet away from me and doing _nothing._

There has to be another way. There _has_ to be.

Nathan's saying something again, but it's all a blurry roaring sound, demonic and loud, and my head is pounding and there is blood pouring from my nose and I can't think straight and...

"Cmon, put that thing down."

The fear in her voice. I can feel it, it stabs like a knife straight through my heart.

I don't want her to die.

I don't want everyone else to die.

There has to be another way. I close my eyes. Think, Max! _Think!_

 _A third option_.

"Get that gun away from me, psy-"

"No!" The scream leaves my mouth before I'm even aware of opening it.

Not again. She can't die _again_ in this dirty bathroom. Not her, not _Chloe_. Not like this, _alone_ and _afraid_!

It takes me a second to realize that the sound I've been dreading, the gunshot that will kill the girl I love, hasn't happened. The roaring in my head is louder than ever, but the gunshot never came. Eventually, I open my eyes and peek around the corner, terrified of what I'll see.

They're frozen.

Chloe is just starting to push Nathan away, and his gun is still aimed at her stomach and if time unfreezes - no, _when_ time unfreezes - it'll fire and she'll be dead and my life will be _over_...

And suddenly everything falls into place, and it all makes sense.

It was never Chloe.

It was _never_ Chloe that had to die here.

All that chaos, all the death, the birds and the whales and the storm, _everything_ that happened this past week, these next five days, it wasn't because _Chloe_ lived.

It was because _I_ lived. Because _I_ changed things.

Because _I_ played god with the universe... and the universe played right back.

We both thought... we both somehow decided that _Chloe_ was the butterfly that flapped her wings in Brazil, and formed a hurricane in Texas, but we were wrong. _I_ was the butterfly, and every single flap of my wings made things _worse_.

Maybe... maybe I was gifted a second chance somehow, after the first time I didn't try to stop Nathan. Maybe it was a chance to do it right and save Chloe, by sacrificing myself... and instead I chickened out, I pulled the fire alarm.

Everything that followed, everything that we went through, was my fault.

She died again and again and again... because _I_ didn't.

Oh god, it was _never Chloe_.

I won't waste this third chance. I won't get another, I know that.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

This is suddenly the easiest thing in the world to do, because to save Chloe, I really _would_ do anything. I already _have_ done everything... everything except _this_.

The gun isn't aimed at Chloe any more, it's aimed at me.

 _Goodbye Chloe_ , I think,

And then just like that, time restarts, like it should have all those days, all those lives, all those _choices_ ago, the way it was supposed to.

 _Me_ saving _her_. The way I was supposed to.

The bang is loud, and the pain blossoms like nothing I've ever felt before, like a burning hot spike driven through my stomach. The pain from the nosebleeds, what Jefferson did... nothing I've ever felt remotely compares to the agony of being shot.

But... but...

The roaring in my ears is gone, and there is peace... until I hear her voice, hear her sob.

"Max!? **MAX**?!"

There's something dripping onto my face, and I know that it's Chloe and she's crying, but that's okay because if she's crying then she's _alive_.

"Why, Max? Why?" She asks deliriously as she pulls my head into her lap.

 _Because I love you_ , I don't tell her.

"Because... it was the... right... choice..." I whisper instead.

"No!" she cries, but she doesn't understand. I can't _make_ her understand, but it's okay, because she's _Chloe_ fucking _Price_ and she's the strongest person I know.

There's a crash and the bathroom door slams open behind us, and David is there. He tackles Nathan to the ground and handcuffs him before he turns to look at me and only then recognizes his stepdaughter cradling the body one of his students.

"What the fu... _Chloe?!_ "

"Dad!" she screams, forgetting in the moment to call him step-douche. I would have smiled, if I could. "He shot Max! Call an ambulance!"

It doesn't hurt any more. It doesn't hurt to die.

"Don't leave, Max. Please don't leave, I can't... not you too!"

 _It's going to be okay_ , I try to tell her with my eyes, as her tears continue to fall. _I know you'll get through this_.

 _I love you, Chloe Price_.

"I love..."

And then everything is white...

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

"She's waking up! Max? _Max?!_ "

"Give her some room, Chloe, for god's sake!"

My eyes open slowly, and the light streaming into them is blinding. I screw them shut again, but not before a single image is burned into my brain.

 _Chloe_.

Outlined by the sun shining in from the window behind her, like a blue haired angel.

 _My_ blue haired, bad tempered, angel.

I'm afraid to open my eyes again, in case I'm hallucinating or delirious or something, but if I was dead, would it really hurt so much? Would heaven be so cruel? Or am I in hell, destined to relive the thing I want most, and have it hurt like nothing else... forever?

Did I really go back and save her?

Did I manage to save Arcadia Bay too?

There's a swishing sound, and the light trying to force its way past my eyelids dims, somewhat.

Joyce's voice calls out. "I've closed the blinds, Max, you can open your eyes again. I don't think it's too bright now."

I do as she says, and Chloe is _still there_ , leaning in and staring intently at me.

My blue haired, red eyed, puffy faced angel.

"You... look like... _crap_ ," I whisper, my lungs burning and my stomach screaming in pain just from the effort of speaking.

She lets out a choked laugh, like she can't believe what I just said.

I can't believe it either.

"Am I dead?" I ask carefully.

This time she lets out a full sob and buries her head into my shoulder, bawling her eyes out.

"You... you nearly..." Joyce starts. She looks away for a second, and swallows a few times, her hand running up and down her daughter's back. "Max, you _did_ die. Twice, actually. In the bathroom, before the ambulance arrived, and again in the ER. It was... it was a near thing. We nearly lost you."

Oh.

I think it was worth it to see Chloe alive again.

Joyce swallows again. "Your parents... they're outside, getting some sleep. They've barely left your side since you got here. Chloe and I, we offered to spell them, just for a bit. Do you want me to get them?"

I blink a few times.

A question occurs to me. "How long?" I ask in a whisper.

"Five days," Joyce says, eventually. "It's Saturday morning."

Oh. _OHHHH._

"How's the... weather been?"

Joyce gives me a disbelieving look - one that very distinctly says _you just died, Max, why on earth would you care about the weather?_ \- but she answers anyway.

"Fine? Sunny? Typical Oregon, I suppose."

I breathe a sigh of relief.

The hospital is still standing. It's a bright sunny day outside. I can hear the birds singing to each other.

Everyone is alive. The storm _never_ happened.

I did it. I saved everyone.

Max Caulfield, superhero.

I _did_ it.

"Did what?" Chloe mumbles into my shoulder, and I realize that I said it out loud the second time.

In the background, Joyce slips out of the room to find my parents.

"I _saved_ you," I tell her, and she pulls back just far enough to look at me and give a small smile.

"Yeah, you did," she says, and chokes back a sob. "You saved my _life_ , Max. I owe you... forever."

I smile up at her, and shake my head. "No, you don't. You _really_ don't."

"What?"

"It's a long story," I whisper, smiling at her confused expression.

She nods her head slowly, and I reach out and touch her cheek.

"Don't nod if you don't understand. It's okay to not understand." I smile weakly. "I don't really understand either..."

Midway between nods, she changes to a shake of her head, and my eyes can't help but watch the blue fringe as it flicks side to side. The slightly hurt look in her eyes frightens me for a second, and before I can think it through, my hand comes up and I'm clenching that something inside my head in that way I used to...

Nothing happens.

Oh.

 _Good_.

"It's a long story," I tell her eventually. "This last week... life has been hella strange... but now I have forever to tell you..."

She smiles at my use of the word 'hella', and I pull her back down into my shoulder again, and everything feels _right_.

Forever and ever.

* * *

 **Author's Notes** : So I highly suspect that I'm not the only person who was, how shall we say, somewhat unsatisfied at the options presented at the end of LiS Episode 5. I suspect I'm not even the first person to come up with this possible permutation, all I know is that this got into my head at 1am after I finished the game, and it wouldn't leave until I'd written it down on my phone. I polished it up in my lunch break at work, and here it is. (Also, wow, I guess _this_ is what finally gives me the push to actually post my first story on FF? Go figure.)


	2. Aftermath

**Authors notes:** It took a massive amount of willpower not to call this chapter "AfterMax" just for the silly pun... Also, surprise! Guess this one shot isn't such a one shot after all. Several people asked in comments and PMs what would happen with the other characters if this scenario played out, and I said "hey, that's a great question, let's write that" and then this crap fell out of my brain instead.

So there'll be at _least_ one more chapter - my brain just apparently decided it had to deal with Chloe not knowing what's happening thing before we check in on the other residents of Arcadia Bay. Nothing too angsty coming up, I promise.

Oh, and I promise I will not call the next chapter after this "Causefield and Effects" just to continue the silly pun run. Or maybe I will because you're not the boss of me.

* * *

I sleep a lot, the first few days "back". Between the painkillers and the whole recovering from being shot thing, it's hard to stay awake for long periods of time, so I find myself drifting off, sometimes in the middle of conversations. The nightmares keep waking me up eventually, though... Mom and Dad are there to hug me the first few times I wake up, which is nice, but they're not who I've been looking for first when I open my eyes...

This time when I wake up, though, I finally see that familiar bright blue hair when my eyes are able to focus.

 _Chloe_... _she's back!_

She's lounging on one of the chairs at the back of the hospital room, reading something on her phone, and while she doesn't look exactly happy, she's not scowling or angry - resigned, maybe.

Mom notices my look, and all of a sudden there's a weird expression on her face. When Chloe feels my eyes on her, and lifts her head and smiles back at me, Mom notices _that_ too, and after a moment she nudges Dad with her elbow, whispers in his ear, and turns back to me.

"We're a bit hungry, so we're going to grab a snack, honey." She smiles at me, and glances back at Chloe. "We'll trust Chloe to take care of you while we're gone, okay?"

Then she actually _winks_ at me, and I feel my face blush instantly.

Oh god. Has she guessed something?

The moment they're gone, Chloe pulls herself out of the chair she was in and slides into the one beside my bed that mom just vacated. Her hand seeks mine and grabs at it, then she looks down at it like she's surprised, like it happened without her thinking about it. I squeeze it gently before she can pull back, and she looks up and smiles at me again.

"How you doing, Super Max?" She's not prepared for the way that nickname causes my breath to catch, but she sees the panic when my eyes widen, and she gently shakes my shoulder. "Hey, hey, you okay?"

I nod jerkily, shivering slightly. "It's just.. it's complicated."

"You said it was a long story, earlier, before your parents came back," she said, avoiding mentioning how she'd been sort of squeezed out by Mom and Dad reuniting with awake me. I don't think she's holding it against me, but then again, this is Chloe we're talking about.

"You have no idea," I tell her.

She doesn't respond for a long time, and I get that sinking feeling like everything is about to fall apart again.

"Does it have anything to do with what you overheard in the bathroom before... before..." she says eventually.

Fucking hell, I don't know how to do this.

"Max?"

"No... well... sort of. It's..."

I can tell she's getting frustrated with me. "Max, what the hell is going on?"

"Chloe, please, don't freak. I promise, there's an explanation but.. but I'm terrified that you'll think I'm crazy, that you'll run away and leave me alone."

"What? Max, no! God no! You took a bullet for me! I'd never... I swear to you I'd never leave you."

"Even if... even if what I did might make you so angry that you hate me?"

"How could anything you say be worse than what Nathan nearly did to me? I'm not just talking about the bathroom.. before that, he drugged me and was trying to pose me for weird photos."

This time, I can't help the horrified shiver of panic. In an instant, I'm back in the Dark Room again, and Jefferson... he's drugging me... he's moving me, posing me... and always, always taking those damn photos. I can hear the camera clicking, clicking, clicking, and I'm helpless and...

"Max... Max, come back to me. Please come back." A hand is gently stroking my fist, the sheet of the hospital bed clenched so tight my knuckles are white.

"C-Chloe?"

I'm still in the hospital... and Chloe's here with me, safe with me.

"Max, where did you go?" Chloe asks. "You froze up, like you were blank.. I was about to call for a nurse."

"Flashback," I say.

"Oh, to.. Nathan?"

I shake my head. " _Worse._ "

"Worse? Than being _shot?_ "

I can tell it doesn't compute. I have to tell her the truth. She deserves to know.

"Chloe... do you believe in destiny?"

"I... well, kinda. I mean, it's kinda destiny that you happened to be in that bathroom, right then, to save my life, right?"

"Maybe... maybe not."

She narrows her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"What if I told you that it wasn't the first time that you and me and Nathan had been in that bathroom and someone had been shot?"

She leans back, still holding my hand, pondering that question. "Uhhh, you mean like you dreamed it happening? Or like, had a psychic vision?"

"No, not exactly. More like... more like I saw it happen and stopped it the first time..."

"What? How?"

"I time traveled."

There's a pause, and I can see the gears working in her head.

"Holy shit," she breathes eventually. "Holy _shit_ , Max."

It all starts coming out in a rush. "And after I saved you the first time, and convinced you that I could do it, it was like we'd never been apart, we were friends again. You told me... you told me about Rachel, and we started looking for her... and... and..."

"Everything went to shit." The certainty in her voice is absolute.

The tears start falling from my eyes, I can't help it. I keep seeing that momentary look of surprise in her eyes right before Mr Jefferson put a bullet between them, and the memory replays itself over and over again. Then her hand is stroking mine slowly again, and she's whispering at me.

"It's okay Max, I'm here. I'm right here. I'm still right here."

I take a few deep breaths, and shiver. Gotta do this. Gotta tell her everything.

"How... how bad did it get?" she asks.

" _Bad_. You... you died, again. Mr Jefferson... he shot you. He drugged me... and he took me to the bunker he built under the Prescott barn, and he was taking photos of me... but he didn't know what I could do... I had a photo that I could use to go back and warn someone about him and I did and it seemed like everything was perfect, and I won the Everyday Heroes contest and I was in San Francisco with Principal Wells but... I forgot about the storm."

Chloe gives me a confused look. "What storm?"

"Right before I saw you get shot the first time I had a vision, an actual vision, of a storm, a massive tornado that wiped out Arcadia Bay, and I was watching it from the lighthouse."

"And when it hit you were in San Francisco? Safe?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't... I couldn't let that happen, so I came back again and I tried to get you to stay with me, to stay safe, but the storm happened anyway. We were on the cliff, watching it, and we thought it was because I saved you the first time. You told me to... to..."

".. to go back, and undo it all," Chloe finishes for me.

I nod weakly.

"To save everyone else... I told you to sacrifice me..."

"Yeah. You said...you've been selfish a lot, but for once it was time to accept your fate."

The silence that followed that revelation was deafening.

"That must have... I mean... I can't even... I don't know if.." Chloe starts a half dozen sentences, but none of them finish. Her hand grasps mine tightly, and I squeeze it back.

"Holy shit Max, I'm so sorry I laid that on you," she says eventually.

"It's what we thought we had to do," I tell her.

"What... what made you change your mind?"

"When I was there, in that bathroom again, waiting for Nathan to shoot you... I realized that I couldn't let my best friend die in that shitty bathroom alone and _afraid_ , not knowing that there were people out there who cared for her, who would never abandon her, who would give up _everything_ for her... who... who _loved_ her just as much as she loved them."

I somehow manage to keep my eyes on her as I finished.

"... Max... I..." She swallows heavily. "I don't know what to say... you saved me... if what you're saying is true you saved me so many times and I... I wish I remembered, because that Chloe that you knew... she sounds like the luckiest girl on the planet."

I pull her close, and she lays her head on my shoulder.

"She still is," I whisper, and I feel the small smile on her lips.

"You really are a superhero, Max," she says a few minutes later. "You really did save everybody. Thank you for saving me too."

From the corner of my eye, I see a head appear in the window in the door, then disappear again. Mom, probably. I'm glad she's leaving us alone right now.

I need this to be just us.

Just me and Chloe.

"Hey Chloe?"

"Yeah, Max?"

"You told me to never forget you," I said softly. "I promise not to, as long as you promise to never leave me."

"Max Caulfield, you have yourself a deal."

* * *

 **Quick A/N:** Surprise update! Snuck some time in to fix this. No more impossible Photos, just Chloe being Chloe and Max worrying that she's going to push Chloe away if she admits she did something kinda selfish and invalidated the sacrifice Chloe asked her to make up on the cliff. I think it works - lemme know what you guys think. More to come! Now off to pre PAX Aus drinks!.


	3. A High Price to Pay

**A/N:** I'm back. I nearly made a weed joke in here that referenced the potential pun in the title, but I didn't because I'm _nice_. Either that or I'm lulling you into a false sense of security - you decide. Anyway, have 2700-odd words covering the next interactions with the good folk of Arcadia Bay.

Joyce and David come by later to talk to me and Chloe, and while Joyce is as close to what I remember as she can be (given her daughter was nearly killed five days ago), it's the changes in David that keep confusing me. It takes a lot of brainpower (brainpower that I don't exactly have to spare, given how tired I am) to remember that this isn't the same David that found the bunker and saved me from Jefferson.. but he's got the same heart. Despite every argument that he and Chloe and I had in my week-that-wasn't, I owe him everything, even if he'll never know it.

Then I get a surprise, as Joyce finally mentions something that nobody had told me just yet, and I realise I owe him for saving me _twice_.

"I talked to your mom for a bit earlier. She says that the doctors think David's first aid gave you a chance, and if he hadn't been there, you'd have never made it to the hospital."

I look up at that, and he turns back from the window he's staring out, an uncomfortable look on his face. Chloe - who admitted to me earlier that she doesn't really remember much other than screaming for help, which isn't entirely surprising, since she went into shock - has an expression on her face that makes me want to smile, as she tries to reconcile the numerous grudges she's held against him for so long with the gratitude she's suddenly feeling for him for saving my life.

Eventually, I find my voice. "Thank you, Mr Madsen." I'm not exactly in a position to hug, so I offer the next best thing by holding out my hand. After a moment's hesitation, he takes it and shakes it gently, like he's still slightly afraid I'll break, but then a small smile brightens his face.

"You can call me David, Maxine."

Chloe groans, and I start to laugh, then cough as the pain from laughing hits me. After a moment of recovery, I wheeze, "Please, call me Max."

He nods, slowly.

"Sorry for laughing. It's kind of become a running joke by this point. I've had to tell every doctor and every nurse so far."

The smile briefly reappears, then he looks over to Joyce and after a second of non-verbal communication, he nods at her. Chloe's mom grabs her and pulls her away, over her somewhat muted protestations. Joyce whispers something in Chloe's ear and she stills instantly and follows her mother out the door. Without protest - _most_ unlike Chloe. As the two of them step away, David takes a small step closer, and sinks down to his haunches so his head is level with mine.

"Max..." he says softly. "I just… I want you to know how grateful I am to you for saving Chloe's life. I know her and I, we don't get along that great, but she means the world to her mother, and her mother means the world to me, so I try... not very well, but I do try. Anyways... thanks."

He goes to get up, but my hand on his arm stops him.

"Thank you for saving me."

"It's nothing," he says.

"It's everything," I tell him honestly. "I can't imagine how she would have survived.. after losing her dad, then Rachel... then me..."

He looks thoughtful, then nods. "You're right, I don't know that she would have. She's been so different this week, even if it's just been waiting around here all the time, waiting for you to wake up... she's almost seemed happy, happy like she hasn't been since Rachel vanished, and now that we know what happened... I know it's not fair of me to ask it of you but I hope you can keep being a good influence. I've seen you at school - Chloe could use someone like you around."

I think back to a confrontation in Chloe's bedroom, him hitting her after she talked back to him, me rewinding and taking the blame for her weed, and once again I have to fold all the confused feelings toward him away carefully. He's _not_ that David, not after what happened on his Monday - and I'm starting to realise that I'm not that Max either.

This is so much more complicated than just saving Chloe's life.

Also, I just realised that he'd probably not find the same humour in the realisation that the Chloe-that-wasn't was a much bigger influence on me than I could _ever_ be on her.

"I will," I tell him, locking eyes briefly. "I will _always_ be there for Chloe."

He looks away, clearly feeling uncomfortable, and stands, takes a step towards the door, then turns back as if something else had just occurred to him, but I can see in his eyes that it's something he's been trying to decide whether to say to me or not.

"By the way... there's no real easy way to say this, but as a vet, I know what it's like to go through something and not be real sure how to deal with it... I know I've struggled with it a lot and this week, after what I went through going into that bathroom with you and Chloe and that Prescott boy... it's made me realise that I wasn't dealing with it at all, and it was hurting my family - hurting me."

He runs his hands over his face, then sighs heavily. "Joyce was right, as usual, and so I found someone to talk to about it… and it's totally up to you but I reckon you might need to do the same too, and if you decide you do, here's the card of the one I've talked to. You just think about it, Max. It's not a bad thing to have to get help. Even the strongest people need someone to lean on, sometimes."

Some part of me is more touched that ever, overriding the last of the lingering suspicion that David-that-wasn't caused. If I ever needed proof that David meant well but just didn't always know how to show it, _this_ was it. "T-thanks, Mr Madsen. I know what you mean, and if I need... no, _when_ I need her help, I'll be sure to give her a call."

He nods, and another small smile flashes over his rough face. "Reckon I'll go get Joyce and find some food. I'll send Chloe on in, shall I?"

I nod, and smile at him. "Thanks again,"

He waves it away and heads out, then Chloe is back in by my side.

"What did he want?" she asks as soon as the door closes. Well, at least she's not calling him step-dick. It's a start.

I hand her the card, and she blinks in surprise. "Therapy?"

"Yeah, he said that when I need to talk to someone, he knew someone who might be able to help."

"Help reconcile the fact that you time travelled and took a bullet to save your best friend you hadn't seen for five years?"

The sarcasm isn't entirely warranted, but I understand where she's coming from.

"Maybe not the time travelling bit, but the being shot and dying, however briefly, that I know I'll need help to deal with, as amazing as you are to talk to."

The compliment brings a smile to her face, and her hand slides into mine again.

"I still can't believe you did that for me," she says softly. "I don't know if I'll ever fully understand..."

"It's okay," I whisper. "You don't have to, you just have to know that I love you and I would do anything to save you."

A comfortable silence settles over us and I feel contentment wash over me again.

* * *

Predictably, it's with Warren that I fuck up first. I choose to blame how tired I was when he came by the Tuesday morning after I woke up in the hospital.

Somewhat ironically, fucking up is also what finally convinces Chloe to believe my crazy time-travel story.

* * *

Warren's not sure whether to smile or not when he sees me, and as a result has a kind of adorably goofy look on his face when he enters the hospital room. "Max Attack, how you doing?"

Chloe aggressively rolls her eyes, but my gentle squeeze of her hand relaxes her… slightly.

The side-effect of that - _of course_ \- is Warren's eyes catching the movement, and taking in the sight of Chloe.

I really kinda like that she has that effect on people. _Whoa. Down girl_.

"Hey Warren," I say, instead of satisfying the sudden urge to pull Chloe close and kiss her again. "What's new in the world?"

"Well, if you weren't officially a celebrity before, you are now," he says slyly, and shows me a newspaper that a quick glance at shows is dated the day after I was shot.

' _Blackwell Academy School Shooting'_ it says, in the big bold headline font. Underneath that, ' _One victim in Critical condition._ ' And when Warren unfolds it and starts to read, it actually happens to name both me as the victim and Nathan as the shooter. Chloe's name is absent, which is probably a good thing, and David gets a mention as the security guard who both arrested Nathan and performed emergency first aid.

It doesn't bother me that he's getting noted for saving me. It's not like I did anything that I can tell anyone other than Chloe about.

Then Warren reads the next paragraph.

"' _Though details are sketchy at this point in time, off the record statements by members of the Arcadia Bay police have confirmed that they believe that Miss Caulfield did infact take a bullet meant for another, in a selfless act of heroism that will surely be rewarded by the town and the police. Details of the intended target of the shooting are at this stage unknown, but investigation into this is ongoing.'"_ He looks up at me, then looks over at Chloe and I can see the wheels turning in his head. "... and I _just_ figured out who that unknown target of Nathan's really was. Wow. Okay."

Damn. Damn damn _damn_.

I look over at Chloe and we share a conversation in microseconds with nothing but our eyes. Warren sees it happening, shivers over-dramatically and mutters 'whoa, creepy', but the grin on his face doesn't waver.

I realise suddenly that it might be harder than I thought to keep the reason _why_ I did what I did out of the news. Sooner or later someone's going to put two and two together and they'll either come up with four or they'll come up with five, and to be totally honest, neither option is particularly enjoyable.

It's not that I would exactly _mind_ my… whatever the hell this is with Chloe right now… being made public, it would just be a hell of a lot easier for the two of us to figure out what _it_ is without a gigantic public spotlight shining on the two of us. I kinda get the feeling the news would absolutely devour the dramatic story of a girl throwing herself in the path of a bullet meant for her lesbian lover... but there's Chloe's somewhat sketchy past, which I also know would be a goldmine for an unscrupulous tabloid reporter - and yes, I know that's redundant.

"Warren…" I start, and he figures out what I'm about to say before I figure out how to say it.

"Hey Max, it's cool. Nobody will hear anything about your secret identity from me, swear."

"Thanks." I realise that a week has gone by, the showing of Planet of the Apes at the drive through has already been and gone. I wonder if he took Brooke, and before I can think about exactly what I'm doing, I'm apologising. "Sorry that you never got the chance to show me your new car, or invite me to 'Go Ape' and see the movie with you at the drive in."

He freezes and his eyes widen and I realise how much I've stepped my foot in. Beside me, Chloe catches his reaction too, and blinks in surprise. This time, it's the wheels in _her_ head turning.

 _Ohhhhh... fuck_.

"Uhhh.. how did you know about the new car, Max?" Warren asks hesitantly. "You've been in a coma since Monday morning, and I haven't talked to you until now."

"Oh.. uh.. I thought I heard Chloe say something about a new car on campus.. she was there on Monday, after all."

Chloe was transported to the hospital with me in the ambulance in shock and doesn't remember anything but holding me and screaming my name, but there's a _chance_ Warren doesn't know that. Unbidden, my eyes flick over to her, and she nods fractionally, confirming that she'll back up my lie if needs be.

"Oh, okay.." Thank god, he's buying it. "And you knew about the movie?"

That's actually easier to cover with a lie. "Dude, you had it in the _Max_ folder on your USB…" Ooops, there goes Chloe's eyebrows up into her fringe again. "Uhh speaking of, did someone give that back to you? Last I saw it was in my room, somewhere - but I heard Planet of the Apes was on at a drive-in cinema nearby and figured you of all people would want to go see it."

He looks at me doubtfully for a second, then his face clears up.

 _I'm not so sure I should be thrilled at being an apparently convincing liar._

"Huh, well, nice of you to think about it. I did end up going, by the way, just… with Brooke. And don't worry about the USB, Dana came and found me on Monday and gave it back, said she'd borrowed it from your room and since she didn't think you'd be in a position to give it back.." He trails off, then rubs the back of his head nervously. "Well, I hate to splash and dash, but I should probably be getting back to school. They only really gave us a little bit of time off, tried to ' _keep things as normal as possible_ ', as Principal Wells said."

I nod, and he comes over and bends down for a careful hug. "Thanks for coming by, Warren. I'll text you, okay?"

He pulls back and smiles. "Sure thing. Nice to meet you, Chloe. Love the hair color."

Chloe blinks in surprise, but he's gone before she can come up with a response. "Huh," she eventually says, and I laugh.

"You know, when I kissed you the first time, in the week-that-wasn't, you said you were going to text him to tell him he didn't stand a chance."

After a second or two, she joins me in laughing. "That does kinda sound like me."

I contemplate telling her that I wussed out first time, then decided to rewind and do it anyway, but it would probably ruin the moment.

Speaking of...

"Hey Chloe?"

"Yeah Max?"

"Do you think this is going to get…'

"Less awkward?"

"Actually, I was going to ask if this was going to get weird.. because sooner or later with the publicity around everything that's going on with Nathan and me and Jefferson... and with everything else, and Rachel, and..."

Before I can take a breath and continue pouring out the fears that suddenly seem to have taken over and are driving me headlong into a full blown panic attack, a pair of soft lips land on mine, and a wave of blue hair fills my sight.

 _Wow_.

Seriously… _wow_.

If I ever forget what the most amazing feeling in the world is like, I'll just have to ask Chloe to kiss me again.

 _Not that there's any chance of forgetting_ this _feeling in the next million years_.

As she pulls back, she's blushing slightly, and I'm grinning stupidly, and then we're both laughing again, and before I know it I'm crying, and then she's crying and I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a _thing_ , at least for a while. How could it not be, with the way things happened to bring us here?

But we have each other, and that's what matters.


	4. Cause and Effect

**A/N** : those readers with an eye for detail will note that I did, back at the start of Chapter Two, promise (sort of) not to call the next chapter Causefield and Effect. I've decided to hold myself to that, even after managing to fit another whole chapter in before getting here. So there!

Oh, and yes, I very nearly did call Chapter three "Priceless Moments".. (I'm so sorry.) I almost feel worse for going with A High Price to Pay - because a part of me wanted to save that for Chloe getting blazed in an attempt to deal with everything that she was learning about the week-that-wasn't… anyway, on with the story. We get insight into another person who had their week changed drastically by the choice Max made..

* * *

The world around me is frozen. Nobody is moving.. they're pointing up at a small figure on the roof of the dorms, silhouetted in the dark sky, or they're turned away, burying their heads into the shoulders of the people standing next to them.

 _I've been here before_.

I push my way through the silent statues of people, blood pouring down my nose and my hands up in front of me, somehow maintaining the frozen time state.

"No, no, no, no!" This isn't happening, not again. Not Kate. I _saved_ her!

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, before I get anywhere near the front steps of the dorm, before I can get up there and talk, time unfreezes and a small frail body falls from the roof, and slams into the ground at my feet.

" **KATE**!"

I jolt awake as she hits the ground, screaming in horror. Chloe is beside me, looking at me with shock and concern writ large on her face.

"Max! _MAX_!" She's holding my hand tightly, but it's shaking in her grasp. "You're okay, you're okay, it's just a dream.."

"Kate… Chloe… I saw her… not again, she can't have died again…"

"Whoa, slow down Max. Kate? As in Kate Marsh? From Blackwell? What did you see?"

"She… she.." How can I explain this, when I don't even want to think about reliving it? "in the week-that-wasn't, someone sent a link to everyone in Blackwall - hell, everyone in Arcadia Bay - of a video showing her acting drunk and kissing a bunch of guys at a Vortex Club party, but she wasn't drunk she was drugged, Nathan… Nathan did to her what he did to you, only he did it for Jefferson…"

"That son of a bitch!" Chloe growled.

"They bullied her.. so much that she jumped from the roof of the dorms.. We'd been playing around with time so much, I was only just able to rewind time enough to get up there, but I managed to talk her down.."

"Jesus, Max. This week gets worse and worse.."

"Can you grab my phone?" I ask. I suddenly realise what I have to do.

"Sure." She grabs my phone and pitches it to me after taking a brief second to admire the new wallpaper - a hospital bed selfie with her blue face sneaking into frame from one side. Shaking my head, I dial a familiar number and desperately hope for an answer.

"Max? Is that you? Are you okay?"

Relief is the sound of Kate Marsh's hesitant voice.

"Kate! Oh god, Kate, it's so good to hear your voice."

I must have surprised her slightly, because there's a soft little laugh, before she recovers. "It's good to hear your voice too, Max. After what happened last week, I've been praying so hard for you."

"Thank you, Kate. I appreciate it." After everything that had happened in the week-that-wasn't, to hear Kate was praying for me was a nice thing. I may not share her beliefs, but I'm never going to take them for granted, because they're important for her. "Listen… are you busy today? I.. I was wondering if you wanted to come visit and talk for a bit?"

Chloe looks over at me, raises an eyebrow, and when I shake my head at her, shrugs.

"Sure, Max. I've been… I haven't been at class much these last few days. Maybe it will be good for me to get out of the dorms for a bit."

For the first time, I can hear some of the stress in her voice, and I realise that things still must have been incredibly tough for her with everything that had happened in my absence.

"I can't wait to see you," I tell her, and give her my room number.

"See you soon, Max," she says.

Chloe looks over as I hang up the phone. "I get the feeling there's more that you're not saying," she says.

"Chloe… I…"

"It's okay, Max. I understand, you don't want to talk about everything with me, some of it is between you and Kate and… you know that you can tell me everything if you want, right? I just want to make sure it's not… it's not me."

I shake my head. "God no. Chloe, it's not you, trust me. It's just… there's… it's so hard to talk about it, and I need to talk to Kate first."

She nods, and comes over to hug me. "It's okay, Max. I'll head out for some food when she gets here."

" _Thank you_."

She stays in my arms for the next few minutes, then her restlessness takes over and she's back up again, pacing the room slowly. I've been feeling well enough the last few days to get out of bed for short periods of time and I'm sick of lying down, so I pick myself up and ease my way over to the two chairs at the window, trying to find some sun to sit in.

It's only after I sit down and grab my journal to start writing in it that I finally realise exactly _why_ this hospital room is so familiar. I can't believe I hadn't noticed it before - it's the exact same one that Kate was in in my week-that-wasn't.

The world keeps doing this to me since I woke up.

Chloe, who watched me slowly work my way to the chair but knew from an earlier experience that I'd have gotten upset if she'd tried to help me, settles into the chair opposite and watches as I start picking my way through the journal that I'm trying to re-write from memory of all the things that happened to us.

Every time I've written something new, Chloe's read it with a hungry expression on her face, like she's desperate to experience, vicariously, the week-that-wasn't, even if the things that happened weren't always fun at all.

The first time she read the journal, when I wrote about the Monday that wasn't, she asked whether I was censoring anything for her sake. Truthfully, I considered it, before I decided that she deserves the truth - the sometimes awful, sometimes ugly, but also sometimes beautiful truth, and she appreciated the admission - appreciated it very nicely.

It's kinda hard to find the words to explain how much it means to me that she wants to try to become that Chloe, my memory of Chloe, because she's seen in my eyes and my voice how much that she means to me, so instead I don't bother and use my lips to tell her another way.

* * *

An hour later, a hesitant knock comes from the door and Chloe opens it to find Kate Marsh, hands clutched together in front of her waist, cautiously peeking into the room.

"Hey Kate," Chloe says. "I'm just heading off for food. This hospital garbage they're serving Max is awful, I need some real stuff. Look after her while I'm gone, okay?"

Kate nods, then blinks in surprise when Chloe slides an arm around her for a brief hug then vanishes down the corridor.

"Hi Kate," I say, somewhat selfishly enjoying the slightly confused look on her face. "That's Chloe. She's just being over-protective of me because I saved her life."

Kate sits down in the chair opposite me and smiles. "I still can't believe that actually happened," she says quietly.

I know how she feels, believe me. "Me either, but I'm… I'm kinda glad it did." At her surprised look, I smile. "Oh I don't mean I'm glad I got shot, I meant… I meant I'm glad that Chloe didn't."

There's a pause, and she nods, then Kate surprises me. "And that Nathan didn't kill her? Didn't kill _anyone_?"

There's something in her eye… like she's waiting for me to disagree with her, but I know things that I shouldn't, and Kate is probably the most forgiving person I know. What happened to her shook her, and it nearly - but _didn't_ \- break her, at least after I was able to remind her of the people in her life who love and care for her, so…

"Yes, that too. Despite everything that he's done… to _us_."

She sits up a little straighter.

"Chloe... told me what was found in Jefferson's bunker, Kate. And… I know more, but I can't tell you how, but…"

Her eyes start to well with tears, so I pull myself awkwardly to my feet and grab her into a hug. I can feel her shuddering as she starts to cry.

"What he.. what _they_ did to you isn't your fault, Kate. I know it has to have been hard, but you have to believe that."

"How can you know what happened, Max?" she sobs. "How can you know what they did to me?"

"I just do, Kate. You wouldn't believe me if I told you, you'd think I was crazy. But I do. I know how Nathan drugged you, how he claimed he was taking you to the hospital. But he didn't, did he?"

"No…"

"No, he took you to the Dark Room, to the bunker that Jefferson had set up. And Jefferson took photos of you, photos you don't remember… and then when he was done with you, Nathan dumped you back at the dorms."

She collapses to the floor, and I sink down with her, holding her tight as she breaks down further.

"Did they send the video around?" I ask softly. "Did they.."

"Vid.. there's a video?" Kate asks, horrified.

 _Ahhh fuck_.

Not for the first time this week I find myself wishing I still had my rewind abilities, so I could take back something that someone else doesn't need laid on them.

"I think so," I say softly, running a hand up and down her back to comfort her. "I _think_ someone had recorded you but I don't know who. I guess.. I hope… after what happened with Nathan and me, maybe they didn't send it?"

"Oh god Max, if there was a video… I don't know what I would do if that got out… if my parents, my church found out?"

I do.

"Found out that you were drugged, and assaulted, and not acting of your own free will? If they judge you for that, it's them in the wrong. You have to believe me, I know you would have never done what they said you did. I know it."

"You… I don't understand how you can know these things but… I'm glad you do. I'm glad someone does, so I can talk to someone at least." She starts crying again, and I hold her close. Over her head, I see Chloe's face appear in through the door, but she leaves instead of intruding. _So much for getting food._

"Have you talked to the police yet, Kate?" I ask carefully after she's had a chance to release some of the anguish that had built up.

"No, not yet. I just… I couldn't face up to them yet. They asked me after they found my folder."

I know they'll come eventually, and I'm not looking forward to my conversation either. I try not to think about it too much until an idea comes to me.

"Kate?"

"Yeah, Max?"

"Would it be better if we did it together? Talk to the police, I mean. If they came here, and we had each other's back…" And Chloe too, I don't add. No way is she letting me sit through the interrogation I'm likely to get without her.

"You'd do that for me?" Kate asks.

"Yeah, of course. Us Blackwell outsiders got to stick together."

The smile that lights up her face makes the thought of having to face the cops almost bearable.

"If you two are Blackwell rejects, I guess that makes me the Blackwell Outcast."

It's funny how Chloe's voice can make me shiver like it does, especially when I don't notice she's slipped into the room (how a tall blue haired girl can do that, I can't figure out). A little part of me hopes Kate doesn't notice the first shiver, but when Chloe slides down to the floor and slips an arm around my shoulder to nuzzle into my neck, there's no hiding the second that runs through me. Chloe ignores it, of course, and instead grabs Kate's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. "I'll be there for you two as well," she promises, and Kate gives her a small smile too.

"Thank you, thank you both," Kate says, then looks at her watch. "Oh my gosh, look at the time. I have to get back to Blackwell, I have one more class."

As she slides free from my hug and stands, Chloe helps me to my feet and wraps an arm around my waist to support me. Before I can protest that I can handle myself, she shushes me with a quick kiss. "I know what you're about to say, and screw that," she whispers.

Kate seems slightly surprised by the kiss, but then her face clears up. "Ohhhh, that's what Warren meant," she says, almost to herself.

" _What_ did he say?" Chloe asks dangerously, tending against me.

"Oh, he said something in passing about realising he never really had a shot with Max. Now I realise he didn't quite mean it the way I'd first interpreted it, that he thought you were out of his, you know, league."

Chloe and I laugh simultaneously, and after a few seconds Kate does too.

"This doesn't weird you out?" I ask after a the laughter does out and there's a long moment of silence.

"Max! You know me, I'm not about to tell anyone how to live their lives if they aren't hurting anyone." Okay, so maybe Kate Marsh can still surprise me a little bit. "God made us in his image," she adds softly. "If God loves both men and women equally, why can't we do the same?"

I've never really thought of it that way, but it makes sense to me. It's just a little surprising, I thought Kate's family were a little more conservative than that. As if she's read my mind, she adds a few caveats to her previous claim.

"Though I think my parents - well, my mum mostly - might disagree. I think everyone has to make peace with their own opinions on it, but I know what I believe, and that is that loving who we love is God's plan, and fighting that would be silly. If you love someone, really love them with all your heart, then I believe that God intends it to be, regardless of who it is"

I can't help it, a little bit of moisture wells up in my eyes, and I stumble forward to give Kate another hug.

"Thank you," I whisper to her. "That actually means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, Max. Thank you for being here for me today. That means a lot to _me._ We'll talk soon?"

"Absolutely," I promise.

"Bye Chloe," she says, waving as she leaves the hospital room.

I let out a little breath when she's gone.

Chloe does the same, then slips her arms around me again. "Intense," she says eventually.

"Yeah. Understatement."

"She gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I think she will. She's stronger than people give her credit for, but we'll be here to help her if we have to."

Chloe nods against me, and the comfortable silence stretches out between us again.

" _You_ going to be okay?" It's been ten minutes of holding each other tight when she breaks the peace.

I think about it for a moment, then pull back my head to look her in the eyes, then deliberately push forward and capture her lips with mine.

"Getting there," I whisper a few minutes later.


	5. Moments in a Mirror

**A/N** : Holy crap, Chapter 5. I didn't expect this when I started with the idea that Max would change her mind about sacrificing Chloe in the Blackwell bathroom, and instead try and find a third choice that saved Chloe **and** Arcadia Bay.. Well, here we are, I've not yet hit the bottom of the barrel in terms of finding ways to explore the alternative universe that could have been created. (Apologies for the delay, however, work has been kicking my ass in the lead up to Christmas.)

Some criticism was received of my portrayal of Kate in Ch4. Look, I understand that her in game portrayal shows her religion being very important to her, but she's also one of the most caring, empathetic characters in the game, and I just don't see her being the 'tut, tut, sinning everywhere!' kind of person, and I extended that to her opinions on same sex relationships, using the example of Christian friends of mine who have shared views that are pretty much as I typed Kate's. If you disagree with that characterisation, that's okay, but, at the end of the day, I'm exerting whatever little authorial prerogative I have.

Anyway, on with the story!

* * *

Day three of my recovery finds me still tiring easily and napping frequently. I'm told this is likely due to my body naturally trying to replace the blood I lost and am still low on, despite several transfusions. As such, I'm sort of used to drifting off to sleep in random places and finding myself waking up back in my bed.

Every so often when I wake I find Chloe in the room, quietly sitting on the chairs by the window, looking through the parts of the diary I've gotten up to, rereading them. Unlike the original, I haven't been decorating this one as much as I did during the week-that-wasn't, and the recollections aren't as fresh as they were when I first wrote them, so despite my best attempts to record everything faithfully, every entry seems slightly hazy, like looking through a badly focused lens; despite my frustration with my memory, the words are more than enough for Chloe to engross herself in.

As I watched her this time, she read the same entry several times, then put the book down, looked out the window for a second, and sighed heavily. I shifted slightly, and she turned to look over at me, sensing my my movement, or maybe my eyes on her back.

"Hey, Max," she says softly, crossing to my side and bending down to give me a quick kiss.

"Hey yourself. Which entry were you reading again?" I ask.

She pauses, looks around the room for a second, avoiding the question.

"Chloe…?"

She pulls away and grabs the journal off the table, and flips it back open after she settles back down into the chair closest to the bed, frustratingly just out of touching range.

" _Finally Chloe showed up, more bubbly than I would have thought after almost getting killed in a bathroom yesterday. It makes me happy to see her smile. But that smile meant trouble, since all she really wanted was for me to show off my rewind power. So I did and I have to admit, I felt like a total boss. Except I did start feeling weak and woozy the more I rewound. I even got a nosebleed, which kinda freaked me out._

 _Chloe always wants more, so she demanded we go to her top-secret lair…"_

She finishes reading, and looks up and over at me. "Was I really that… demanding?"

There's a second question, hidden inside the first, I think. Something along the lines of _how could you stand me?_

"Sure you were, but it wasn't as bad as you make it sound. Your best friend had just come back into your life, you were having a blast with how my rewind power worked, and you wanted to play a little more with it. I don't blame you - I went along with it, after all."

"And the next bit?"

 _Oh, that bit_. I can still remember exactly what I wrote.

" _She still had to get pissed off at me because I dared to answer Kate's call. I'm not a fan of Chloe's petulant side. She tried to make me feel like an ass, but screw that. Kate was so happy I answered I actually felt worse for her. Chloe has to know I can have two friends at once…"_

"Did I… was I…?"

"You were jealous, Chloe. I can understand _why_ , too. You thought Rachel had just abandoned you, and you were on your own for so long, then I came back and you wanted me all to yourself. You were kind of a mess, but you realised what you were doing, later."

"I did?"

"Haven't written it yet," I promise her. "When we visited Kate on Thursday, you said you were glad that I'd been there for her, and that you were sorry for being such a dick about it."

She laughs, but it's not really a happy laugh.

"Chloe."

She's looking away from me, looking out the window, at the door, at anywhere but me.

" _Chloe_."

She finally looks at me, and I smile at her.

"I forgive you for being a bit of a dick."

This time, the laugh has a bit more happiness behind it.

"And besides, it wasn't _you_ , exactly. You haven't razzed me for answering the phone to talk to a friend - yet."

"I won't," she says quickly. "I promise I won't get petulant or upset or jealous."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," I tell her, then smile to soften the blow. "You're slow to trust and easy to anger and you've been let down so many times in your life that you lash out sometimes. And sometimes, that's going to be at me, even when you don't want to. I already know that, so it's okay. I love you, and that won't change, even if you get mad at me sometimes. As long as we let each other cool off and talk again afterwards, we'll always be fine."

I pretend not to notice the tears in her eyes that she flicks away angrily with the back of her hand, or the sniffle that she turns into a raspberry.

"Ahhh, I hate soppy shit," she lies.

"C'mere."

She sets the book down beside me, and sits in the space I make for her, then I pull her down to me and kiss away the tears on her cheek, then her nose, then her lips…

This is what I was prepared to sacrifice myself for.

This is _meant_ to be.

This moment is perfect.

* * *

The perfect moment doesn't last _nearly_ long enough, as usual.

Mom bursts into the room, talking over her shoulder. "I don't think this is the time, Officer!"

I think Chloe just about bounced through the roof as she sat up and hopped off the bed, but either mom didn't notice, or she's chosen not to for the moment. Either way, she's got an angry look on her face, like she's been on the losing side of an argument, and Mom hates that.

"Look, Mrs Caulfield, we need to get a statement from your daughter sooner or later, and the doctors said that she's awake enough and strong enough to handle it. I'm sure she'd rather get it out of the way and over and done with. Wouldn't you?"

He turns to me, and I recognise him from the diner, talking about Nathan and Frank and the Prescott family.

 _I can't let him know that I know more than I should_ , I realise. _That would be super suspicious_. Then I remember my conversation with Kate.

"Officer… I was wondering, would you mind if Kate Marsh was here? And maybe you could interview us together? It's just… I don't want to do this alone."

"You're not under investigation, Miss Caulfield, I promise you that. But we still do need to ask you a few questions in a formal setting."

"I understand that, but this is probably as formal as I'm going to get, at least for the next few days. I know you need to ask Kate questions too. You probably even have some follow-up questions for Chloe. Wouldn't it be easier if we were all here?"

He sighs, and gives me an appraising look. "Very well. I assume you have Miss Marsh's number?"

I nod, and Chloe tosses me the phone.

"Kate?"

"Max?"

"How quick can you get to the hospital?"

"Why? What's the matter? Are you okay."

I laugh. "I'm fine, Kate. Just… there's an officer here, and he wants to talk to me _now_ , so I figured…"

There's a short intake of breath, then I can hear her steeling herself. "I'll call a taxi and be there in fifteen minutes," she says.

"You don't have to do this," I remind her. "It's no big…"

"No Max, I _want_ to do this. I need to get closure, and this is going to be part of it. I'll be there soon."

"Okay. Thanks, Kate."

I hang up and look over at Mom and the cop. "She'll be fifteen minutes or so."

"Very well." The cop looks around, then sighs. "I'll be back in twenty minutes, then," he says, realising the look on my Mom's face.

After he leaves, she turns to Chloe. "Do you mind giving me and Max a few minutes, Chloe?"

"No problem, Mrs Caulfield."

"Chloe, my name is Vanessa. Please, don't call me Mrs Caulfield. It makes me feel old."

"You are old," I joke, and she sighs.

"We won't be long, promise," she says, and pats Chloe on the shoulder as she leaves.

Then she turns to me, and Inquisitor Mom is in full effect. _Uh oh._

She gives me a stern look, one that softens slightly when she sees me flinch. "Oh Max, you're not in trouble, I promise. I just.."

She sighs, and sits on the edge of the bed next to me, and grabs my hands in hers.

"We need to talk about Chloe."

I knew this was coming, but it's still a shock to hear. "Did you want to be a bit more specific?" I ask carefully.

"I saw the two of you," she starts, then pauses, blushing, and she looks away in embarassment. "I didn't mean to intrude, but you're in a hospital and I was coming to your room and..." she stumbles over her words a bit, and I can't help but grin.

"You saw us what, mom?"

She looks back at me sharply, and then when she sees the stupid smile on my face, she sighs. "You're teasing me."

I don't bother replying.

"Okay, I saw the two of you getting intimate... but I overheard Joyce say that you hadn't even been in touch at all until the day you were shot... don't you think that's a bit fast to be diving into a relationship?"

Ah, here comes the part I can't explain to her. I can't tell her about the week-that-wasn't without her committing me to a psych ward... I don't think _anybody_ other than Chloe would be able to accept the truth of what happened.

"It's complicated."

"You say that like it explains everything, but it doesn't. It just makes it more.."

"Complicated?"

"Damnit Max! I am trying to understand, okay? I am trying to..."

"Accept that your daughter might be a lesbian? Or bi?" I think about it for a moment, trying to work out if I feel the same about any other girls I know. Brooke? Nah. Kate? No.

 _Victoria_? Hell no.

"Hmm, maybe I'm just a Chloesexual," I say, mostly to myself.

"Don't turn this into a joke, Maxine Hannah Caulfield."

Mom normally never uses my full name unless I'm in trouble.. but I can feel the anger surging suddenly through me.

"I wasn't," I tell her, my voice cold. "Mom, I know what I feel about her. Believe it or not, she feels pretty similar about me. I don't know what the future holds for either of us, but if you think that I'm not going to grab hold to the one person in the world I've found who makes me feel like this..."

My rant runs out of steam when I look up and see the look in her eyes. It's a mix of admiration, and happiness, and fear, and maybe just a bit of sadness and desperate denial thrown in for good measure. _I wonder if she's thinking if Chloe and I stay together, she won't have grandkids?_

"Jeez, mom. It's not like we can't adopt. Or use a sperm donor or something," I mutter.

"That's not... okay, that might be a _part_ of it - a small part! But... tell me truthfully, Max, if you had a daughter, and one day she was _shot_ and then spent a _week_ in a coma, and when she came out of it she was suddenly attracted to her female best friend, wouldn't you wonder? At least a little bit?"

It's not fair, I think suddenly, and my anger is back. I thought she'd be fine with this! I want her to be fine with this.

I _need_ her to be fine with this.

"Yeah. I would wonder. And then I would talk to her, and find out how she really feels about this new aspect of her life, see if she's just as scared as I was, about how it would change her. Then I'd ask if she was sure, and if she was willing to commit to the relationship, take the good with the bad... I'd ask her if she was in love, as much as I was with the love of my life... and if she said yes then I'd promise her that I would love her and support her with everything I had, _unconditionally_ , because I trusted her."

I pause for a breath.

"I wouldn't be scaring her, making her feel like she's being backed into a corner, like she might be forced to choose between her family and her love."

Mom's mouth drops open and she gapes at me, like I just turned into a rabbit or something.

"Max… I… is that… is that really what you think?" She stops, looks away for a second to compose herself, then looks back again. "Do you really think that either me or your Dad would _ever_ do that to you? For _any_ reason?"

Instead of answering, I draw my knees up to my chest and wrap my hands around my shins, tucking into a tight ball.

"Max, we do love you unconditionally, but we also worry about you. For the longest time, we wondered if maybe this was just something you weren't ready for or, maybe not ever. You never really showed any interest in… boys - or girls! - or, you know, dating in general… so it's come as a bit of a shock to find you… well…" she trails off again. "Look… I'm sorry I upset you, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to know if you were really serious, and I guess I got my answer. You really love her, don't you?"

I nod, not trusting my voice thanks to the tightness in my throat.

"Then love her with everything you have, and we'll consider her a part of our family… not like that wasn't already partially the case five years ago… I guess it'll just be a little different."

She leans forward and puts her hands on my shoulders.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Max, and I'm sorry for making you think that we might not be okay with you loving whoever you want to, I was just worried, and worry makes me say and do stupid things. Ask your father if you doubt me."

She kisses the top of my head and half hugs me, then sits back.

"Now, you're going to be safe, right? You have protection?"

"Mom!" I interrupt. "Jeez, I just got shot! Thats… that's not an issue right now!"

She grins wickedly at me, and I realise that she's got me. _Damnit_.

"I'll go see if your friend Kate is here, then find that officer. Want me to send Chloe in?"

"Sure, mom."

* * *

A few seconds later, Chloe's back in the room, back sitting beside me, back holding my hand in one of hers. She shoots me a comforting grin, but her eyes are asking questions that will need to be answered sooner or later. _How much did you hear from the door?_ I wonder.

I don't get any time to enjoy her touch though, because the cop is right behind her, along with Mom, and Kate.

He settles into one of the chairs by the window, looks over at us, and smiles without a convincing amount of sincerity.

"Okay, who wants to go first?"


End file.
